The long, bitterly fought race to The White House reached its end on Tuesday as Americans voted in what looked likely to be one of the closest presidential elections in U.S. history.

While neither candidate had a decisive edge, the latest Reuters/Ipsos national poll of likely voters showed President Barack Obama slightly ahead of Republican rival Mitt Romney, 48 percent to 46 percent.

The same poll showed Obama ahead in Ohio, considered one of the most important of the 11 swing states that will decide the result, by four points. The latest Rasmussen poll, however, placed both candidates at 49 percent in the state. The latest national polls by Gallup and Rasmussen, meanwhile, both had Romney up by 1 percent.

By John Power (john.power@heraldcorp.com)